The Burial Church of the Armenian Kings, Anavarza/Anazarbus/Ain Zarba

The Burial Church of the Armenian Kings, Anavarza/Anazarbus/Ain Zarba

The city of Anazarbus is an ancient city that was first founded by the Assyrians. It was rebuilt and renamed by rulers throughout its history, including Roman Emperor Justin I, who rebuilt it after an earthquake in the 6th century and named it “Justinianopolis.” Likewise, the central castle has been built and rebuilt numerous times as it passed hands through different dynasties and empires including: the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Abbasid Caliphate, the Crusaders, the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, the Mamluks, etc. The majority of the present fortress is of Armenian construction. The innermost keep (donjon) was built by the Crusaders after it was captured during the 1st crusade. In the 12th century, Thoros I, king of Lesser Armenia, made it his capital, and it reverted to its previous name, Anazarva. It is in modern day Kozan, in Turkey. Finally destroyed by the Mamluks in 1374.

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